The Center for HIV Law and Policy challenges barriers to the rights and health of people affected by HIV through legal advocacy, high-impact policy initiatives, and creation of cross-issue partnerships, networks and resources. We support movement building that amplifies the power of individuals and communities to mobilize for change that is rooted in racial, gender and economic justice.

The webinar was a lead-in to a November 1 convening on the same topic led again by CHLP, Harm Reduction Coalition and the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable. Twenty leaders in the viral hepatitis, treatment access, harm reduction, and HIV criminal law reform movements gathered for a day-long meeting in Louisville. Together, they shared experiences and strategized about how to broaden the growing HIV decriminalization movement to include those living with viral hepatitis in the United States.

Kate Boulton blogged on the recent Williams Institute report on HIV criminal laws in Florida showing that sex workers face disproportionate harm from HIV criminal laws. Kate argues that reform efforts that exclude those experiencing the most harm further stigmatize sex workers and overlook the racial, economic, and gender biases that blight our criminal legal system. Justice doesn't trickle down...reform must support the majority of those affected by HIV criminalization. Read the full blog here.

In October, Arpita Appannagari traveled to New Orleans for the 12th Annual Harm Reduction Conference to present with Kiefer Paterson of Harm Reduction Coalition, Kate D’Adamo of Reframe Health and Justice, and Nora Fuller (not pictured) of AIDS United on HIV Criminalization Beyond Non-Disclosure: Advocacy Toolkits on Intersections with Sex Work and Syringe Use. Their presentation highlighted the need to build intersectional advocacy within the HIV criminal law reform movement. Data from Georgia and California, as well as more recent analysis from Florida, confirm that hyper-criminalized populations such as sex workers bear most of the harm from HIV criminalization. Legal reform must include these communities and the laws that directly affect them to tackle the ways in which HIV criminal laws are implemented on the ground.

A Pair of Presentations at the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA)

Kate Boulton and Arpita Appannagari presented at the annual United States Conference on AIDS in Orlando in September. This four-day conference brought together hundreds of HIV advocates to build capacity and share experiences to end HIV in the U.S. Kate presented with Eric Paulk of Georgia Equality and Kaleb Anderson, a student at Depauw University, on race, the U=U campaign and HIV criminal law reform. Arpita presented with Eric Paulk, Robert Suttle of the Sero Project, and Nora Fuller of AIDS United on structural interventions to end the criminalization of PLHIV.

U=U and HIV Criminal Law Reform Webinar Reprised

Kate Boulton, Eric Paulk of Georgia Equality, Carrie Foote of IUPUI/HIV Modernization Movement Indiana, and Mariah Wilberg of the Minnesota Department of Health presented a webinar version of their HINAC3 presentation: U=U and HIV Criminal Law Reform: Lessons from Current State Advocacy as a part of the After HINAC webinar series. The recording of this webinar is online.

State Advocacy Working Groups

Most states are not currently in legislative session but state advocates continue to meet and strategize around HIV criminal law reform.

Arkansas HIV Reform InitiativeMeetings are held on the second Thursday of the month at 11:00 AM (CT).If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Arkansas, please contact Arpita Appannagari at aappannagari@hivlawandpolicy.org

Florida HIV Justice CoalitionMeetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at 1:00 PM (ET).If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Florida, please contact Kamaria Laffrey at kamaria.laffrey@seroproject.com

Georgia HIV Justice CoalitionMeetings are held on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 PM (ET).If you/your organization are interested in supporting HIV criminal reform efforts in Georgia, please contact Johnnie Kornegay at johnnie.kornegay@counternarrative.org.

Louisiana Coalition on Criminalization and HealthMeetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month at 11:00 AM (CT).If you/your organization are interested in information about HIV criminalization in Louisiana or joining the LCCH, please contact Chip Eakins at ceakins@philadelphiacenter.org.

Missouri HIV Justice CoalitionMeetings are held on the second Friday of the month at 1:00 PM (CT).If you/your organization are interested in working with the Missouri HIV Justice Coalition, please contact Ashley Quinn at ashley@empowermissouri.org or visit the coalition’s website for more information.

Ohio Health Modernization MovementMeetings are held on the third Monday of the month at 5:00 PM (CT). If you/your organization would like information on HIV criminalization in Ohio or are interested in working with the Ohio Health Modernization Movement, please contact Kim Welter at kim@equalityohio.org.

Southern HIV Decriminalization NetworkMeetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 3:00 PM (ET)If you/your organization would like information on HIV criminalization in the South or are interested in working with the Southern HIV Decriminalization Network, please contact Charles Stephens at charles.stephens@counternarrative.org.